It was around 10 a.m. on January 14, 1938, when Harry Raymond went out to his garage in Boyle Heights, turned the key on the ignition of his car and his engine bolted out of the hood of his car, filling Harry’s body with 186 pieces of shrapnel. The explosion was loud enough to hear throughout the neighborhood. Harry was rushed to the hospital where he received 100 stitches and was treated for multiple fractures and chest punctures.

On July 14, 1930, Frank Keaton entered Department 39 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for a civil case between The First National Bank, and Hollywood film producer David O. Selznick. On the stand was banker Motley Flint. Keaton listened in the spectator’s section to Motley’s testimony, and once he finished and stepped down from the witness stand, Keaton shot him three times with his .38 Smith & Wesson – Flint fell dead! What angered Mr. Keaton, and brought him so far to the edge that he would shoot Motley Flint dead? The Answer is “The Julian Pete Swindle”.

by Pebbla Wallace, LACHS Board Member

The most famous courtroom television drama in the history of courtroom dramas will always remain, in the opinion of this writer, the series Perry Mason, which starred Raymond Burr from 1957-1974. Although the drama depicted a fictional criminal defense attorney who won almost every case, what you may not know is that the character was based on a real-life criminal defense attorney name Earl Rogers who practiced in Los Angeles from 1897 to 1918.

Watch the recorded presentation Made in California with George Geary CCP

Watch the recorded presentation A Look at Los Angeles Through Vintage Postcards

by Pebbla Wallace, LACHS Board Member

In May, Los Angeles celebrates Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. In doing so, the LACHS would like to recognize the historical and cultural contribution both as a cultural group and as individuals to the City of Angels.

by Pebbla Wallace, LACHS Board Member

The events of October 24, 1871, were one of these horrific events that many have forgotten, and which need to be remembered – Los Angeles’ 1871 Chinese Massacre, the largest mass lynching in American History.

It is with sadness that we announce the untimely passing of LACHS President Todd Gaydowski on April 12, 2022, at the age of 54.

Watch the recorded presentation Ice & Oil – The Life and Legacy of Dan Murphy - A talk with Joseph Ryan

by Pebbla Wallace, LACHS Board Member

Today’s women have made great strides in American History. But for years women were restricted from voting, signing legal documents, owning property, participating in contracts and lawsuits, retaining their salaries, or even inheriting independently from their husbands. In fact, until around 1850 most women’s legal rights were under the protection and authority of their husbands.